Late summer and autumn sowings

What vegetables can you grow in late summer/autumn?

Vegetables that can still be harvested in autumn or even winter are more plentiful than you might think. You should not miss this fresh enrichment of your menu in the cold season. Among the multitude of cabbage, leafy and tuberous vegetables there are even some winter-hardy varieties, some of which are sown in September.

Sowing in August

Most autumn vegetable crops are sown in August. These include Chinese cabbage, pak choi, fast-growing radish, spring onions, winter radish, turnips and spinach, as well as chard, which should be sown by mid-August at the latest. Even lettuces with a short growing season will grow large enough for harvesting if sown in August. These include lamb`s lettuce and loose leaf lettuce.
Medicinal and garden herbs include camomile and chicory, which will flower very early next year. Parsley sown in August germinates very quickly and the plants develop healthily, in contrast to parsley sown in spring.
You can also sow green manure on open beds now, so that the soil can be supplied with nutrients over winter for the new season. Buckwheat, mustard, lupine, clover or a green manure mixture are suitable for this.

Plants for sowing in August:

• Chinese cabbage
• Pak Choi
• Radish
• Spring onions
• Winter radish
• Turnips
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Lamb`s lettuce
• Picking lettuce
• Parsley
• Camomile

August is also a good month to plant berries. Strawberry plants can develop enough roots until winter and will fruit early next year. Plants of tuberous fennel, leek, Chinese cabbage, endive, cauliflower, broccoli and kohlrabi that have been grown since July can also be planted now and offer a harvest until late autumn.August is also a good month to plant berries. Strawberry plants can develop enough roots until winter and will fruit early next year. Plants of tuberous fennel, leek, Chinese cabbage, endive, cauliflower, broccoli and kohlrabi that have been grown since July can also be planted now and offer a harvest until late autumn.

Sowing in September

In September/October, even the winter varieties of carrots can still be sown. And as long as the ground is not completely frozen, you can still twist them out. A good companion is the leek. However, for a winter harvest, these must be sown before the end of June.
An ideal winter salad is the winter postelein, which only germinates at temperatures below 10°C. In addition, it grows under a snow cover and there remains frost-resistant down to -20°C.
Lamb`s lettuce and winter varieties of spinach can also be sown until the middle/end of September and will bring fresh greens to your plate until winter or even into the next spring. There should be at least two leaves at the start of winter.

Plants for sowing in September:

• Carrots (winter varieties)
• Winter postelein
• Lamb`s lettuce
• Spinach (winter varieties)